Conflict is a marvelous learning opportunity because it requires people to adjust their habitual ways of acting in response to the conflict they are encountering. In this session we explore the various ways that educational institutions are working with and learning from conflict when it emerges. We examine both K-12 and higher education environments with an aim to understand the different types of practice that are common. We review some ways to access free teaching and learning materials tailored specifically to educational settings.

About the Presenter: Bill Warters, Ph.D. is a faculty member in the Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution Program offered by Wayne State University’s Department of Communication. He developed and manages the Conflict Resolution Education Connection (www.creducation.org) and the Conflict Management in Higher Education Resource Center (www.campus-adr.org). He is author of Mediation in the Campus Community: Designing and Managing Effective Programs published by Jossey Bass Press. Bill received the William J. Kreidler Award for distinguished service to the field from the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) Education Section.

A short musical video using puppets that promotes getting along despite differences. Aimed at preschool through 3rd grade.

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) (www.olweus.org) is the most researched and best-known bullying prevention program available today. Designed for students in grades 1-8, OBPP is a bullying prevention program that has produced reductions in school bullying by 50% or more. This video gives an overview of this bullying prevention program with feedback from those who have used it.

Professor Eddy Shuldman in the University of Oregon Teacher Education program speaks about how she implements mediation techniques in her classroom and within the school culture. Professor Shuldman has been speaking to the students at length about the importance of creating a classroom culture that is both safe and allows students to fully express themselves. She also believes that happens only when issues and problems are dealt with in a respectful and decent manner. This video showcases her belief in the idea of mediation as a technique to support that aim.

A video about peer mediation developed by the program at Dibble Middle School in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Bar Association supports this work through PROS, the Peaceful Resolutions for Oklahoma Students initiative providing free training to schools. Here’s a link to their training manual.

This video profiles Aik Saath, a youth-run project in London that trains young people to be peer educators around conflict resolution. Over one hundred young people have been part of the team, training their peers in conflict resolution and anti-racism skills, since 1998. The team trains over one thousand other young people every year. Learn more about the group on their website or via their brochure (5 MB).